Darkrai Movesets & Wettbewerbs-Sets

Moves Hypnosis may lack in accuracy, but it threatens the opponent with the danger of losing a Pokemon to sleep. This gives Darkrai the ability to freely set up a Nasty Plot and make use of its ability to get bonus chip damage on an enemy Pokemon. Nasty Plot is another key separation that Darkrai has over Yveltal, having more power than it at +2. This can make Darkrai a threatening wallbreaker or sweeper depending on the situation. Dark Pulse is Darkrai's main attack and does respectable damage to the majority of the tier. A boost from Nasty Plot makes Dark Pulse far more threatening to weakened Pokemon. Thunder targets Ho-Oh, Yveltal, and Primal Kyogre but comes with more accuracy concerns. While Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre do not resist Dark Pulse, their high Special Defense allows them to take hits without too much trouble, meaning that a boosted Thunder will be far more threatening to them. Sludge Bomb targets Fairy-types and is a clear advantage that Darkrai has over Yveltal when combined with its Speed tier. With the threat of a +2 Sludge Bomb, Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy are much shakier checks. It also ensures that Darkrai has another accurate attack to rely on. An alternative coverage option is Focus Blast, which is Darkrai's best option against the likes of Tyranitar and Magearna, which are otherwise very effective checks. Dark Pulse and Focus Blast coverage misses out on a lot of important Pokemon such as Fairy-types and Ho-Oh, however. Set Details Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment with a Timid nature gets the most out of Darkrai's important stats, outspeeding key threats such as Arceus formes and Mega Salamence while maximizing damage output. Life Orb adds the best overall damage to Darkrai's attacks, as without it, it can lose out on OHKOing Ho-Oh at +2 with Thunder and will also fall short of OHKOing Arceus-Fairy and Xerneas with +2 Sludge Bomb. Dark Pulse also gains guaranteed OHKOs on Ultra Necrozma and Mewtwo with the boost from Life Orb. Usage Tips Darkrai's low bulk and high Speed mean that it is best brought in on free switches against slower, bulkier Pokemon. If Darkrai can force a switch, this gives the chance to use Hypnosis twice if the switch-in is slower, increasing the odds to 84% of gaining a free Nasty Plot or attacking against a sleeping target. This can somewhat offset the annoying accuracy issues that come with Hypnosis. Be aware of what Darkrai isn't capable of beating based on its coverage. Without Sludge Bomb, Darkrai needs Fairy-types to be fairly weakened before a boosted Thunder will take them down. Without Thunder, Ho-Oh, Yveltal, and Primal Kyogre will need to be worn down before Darkrai can beat them. Magearna is nearly impossible to break if running Sludge Bomb as the coverage option and will need to be dealt with by Darkrai's teammates. Darkrai is capable of dealing with its own checks with Hypnosis, but the opponent is not likely to give Darkrai the chance to put its own check to sleep and will likely fodder something less useful or a Pokemon that isn't that bothered of being asleep before pivoting back to a Darkrai check. This can be taken advantage of by using Nasty Plot or attacking and keeping the threat of Hypnosis around. Darkrai is capable of being effective against many different types of teams, but keep in mind that ultimately, there will be some reliance on luck going your way to achieve the best results from this set. It should be noted that Darkrai's high Speed and access to sleep-inducing moves can make it an effective anti-lead against slower entry hazard-focused Pokemon such as Cloyster, Smeargle, and Excadrill. Team Options For Darkrai to avoid being completely outclassed by Yveltal on a team, the overall structure of it should aim to be offensive in nature. Reliable entry hazard setting is a requirement to keep the pressure on the opponent and chip foes into the range of Darkrai's attacks. This can come from dedicated leads such as Cloyster, Deoxys-S, and Excadrill. Primal Groudon also stands out as a Stealth Rock setter and generally reliable teammate. In return, Darkrai can pressure enemy Defog users or even put them to sleep, keeping entry hazards up. Choice Scarf Xerneas stands out as a great partner, as it can threaten to revenge kill many of the Pokemon that are faster than Darkrai while also getting chip damage onto Magearna to put it in range of Darkrai's attacks. In return, Darkrai puts pressure onto other Xerneas checks such as Primal Groudon and support Necrozma-DM. Primal Groudon can use a variety of sets, with all of them able to check Fairy-types and Tyranitar for Darkrai. Some variants can be used to pressure Primal Kyogre and Ho-Oh, covering many bases for Darkrai in a single teammate. In return, Darkrai can pressure Giratina and Lugia for Primal Groudon making it an effective partner. Necrozma-DM can take advantage of Fairy-types for Darkrai and make use of Darkrai's ability to pressure Ho-Oh.

Moves Dark Void is Darkrai's signature move, allowing for the incapacitation of one opposing Pokemon. This aids in Darkrai's ability to lead, set up Nasty Plot, and justify its use by forcing the opponent to fodder something. Dark Pulse is Darkrai's best STAB attack and has a 20% chance to cause the foe to flinch. Nasty Plot is easy to set up thanks to the switches that Dark Void causes, and it allows Darkrai to put on additional offensive pressure. Thunder 2HKOes common checks to Darkrai such as Ho-Oh, Primal Kyogre, and Xerneas, and it can OHKO Mega Diancie as well as Yveltal if Stealth Rock is up. Thunder also deals fair damage to Klefki; however, Dark Void and Taunt can also be used to stop incoming Klefki. Sludge Bomb can be used to OHKO Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy after a Nasty Plot boost. Taunt is also an option, which prevents the use of Sleep Talk and Defog while stopping several defensive Darkrai switch-ins such as Blissey. Set Details 252 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allow Darkrai to outspeed Arceus formes and below. This is very important because one of Darkrai's greatest assets to an offensive team is its ability to pressure common Defoggers. The maximum Speed investment is also optimal for Darkrai versus Darkrai matchups, which aren't particularly common but still relevant enough to mention. 252 Special Attack EVs are invested in order to boost Darkrai's Special Attack so that Darkrai can sweep with Nasty Plot or intermediately wallbreak opposing Pokemon. The remaining 4 EVs are slotted into Defense as to not give Genesect an Attack boost with Download. A Life Orb is used to further boost the power of Darkrai's moves at the cost of some HP, which is needed because Darkrai is not nearly as much of an offensive threat without the 1.3x power boost. A Focus Sash is also an option to allow Darkrai to survive a move that would potentially knock it out, giving it an extra turn; however, entry hazards will render this item useless and the drop in power is significant. Usage Tips Darkrai leads well against a variety of threats, but it is best not to lead with it if the opponent has a Genesect or Diancie, which will force Darkrai out immediately. Due to Sleep Clause, Darkrai can only place one target to sleep at a time, so choose well; this can mean not opting to use Dark Void when it is clear that your opponent is going to send something in that is different from what you want to sleep. Darkrai has a very finite existence due to a lack of recovery and Life Orb recoil, so never keep it in longer than is needed. Furthermore, the simple act of keeping Darkrai alive means that your opponent will often not bother to try awakening the Pokemon that was slept. This can mean that sacrificing Darkrai is less advantageous than sacrificing another Pokemon in certain scenarios, because it can ensure that the slept Pokemon stays out of commission. Darkrai can prevent the use of Defog if it maintains a presence after entry hazards have been set due to its ability to outspeed all common Defoggers and hit them with Dark Void or Taunt. Darkrai also has a good matchup against a variety of common Defoggers, such as Arceus-Ghost, Latias, Latios, and Giratina-O, furthering Darkrai's ability to prevent a Defog. Nasty Plot is easy to set up thanks to Dark Void, but there is no point in setting up when the opponent has a healthy check to Darkrai; it is better to attack or double switch to an appropriate counter. Although Darkrai can beat a standard Geomancy or Life Orb Xerneas that switches into Dark Void, you must be wary of Choice Scarf Xerneas with Sleep Talk, which can potentially net a surprise KO on Darkrai. Team Options Darkrai is generally an independent Pokemon that doesn't necessarily require any specific support; however, there are a variety of teammate options that pair well with it and contribute to offensive synergy. Primal Groudon is able to smash a majority of the Pokemon that can check Darkrai, including Choice Scarf Xerneas, Mega Diancie, Genesect, Ho-Oh, Tyranitar, Choice Scarf Zekrom, and Choice Scarf Kyogre. Extreme Killer Arceus is also a great partner that benefits from Darkrai's ability to cut through Arceus-Ghost, Giratina-O, and Lugia. With Darkrai's ability to threaten Defoggers and force switches, setters of entry hazards, especially Spikes, make for good teammates that help Darkrai abuse its attributes to the fullest. Such teammates can either be suicide entry hazard leads or offensive entry hazard setters. However, virtually all offensive Spikes setters are suicide leads. Kyogre can be used to take advantage of Darkrai's ability to threaten Latios, Latias, Giratina-O, and Primal Groudon, placing additional pressure on its checks. Offensive Xerneas benefits from Darkrai's ability to check Lugia and can potentially gain a setup opportunity from Dark Void. The few Pokemon that are able to check Mewtwo, such as Giratina-O and Arceus-Ghost, are threatened by Darkrai, making it a powerful teammate. Zekrom can blast through Ho-Oh and Primal Kyogre, two Pokemon that can be troublesome for Darkrai to impact. Lastly, offensive Steel-types such as Genesect and Choice Scarf Jirachi can U-turn into Darkrai when they draw out Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ghost, and Giratina-O.

This set aims to take care of Darkrai's chronic problems with faster revenge killers. This set works best as a lead, as every non-Choice Scarf Pokemon is outsped and crippled by a combination of Trick and Dark Void; Darkrai can then proceed to set up with Nasty Plot and start a sweep. Thanks to Darkrai's monstrous base 135 Special Attack and its great coverage, STAB Dark Pulse packs a real punch, even when resisted. Darkrai can also come in later in the game to pose a threat to the opponent's team. It must be noted that although Trick can completely ruin one of your opponent's Pokemon, it must be used very carefully. Using Trick carelessly on a Pokemon that is immune to it, such as Arceus, or on an opposing Choice user will only give the surprise away. In order to avoid such situations, try to refrain from using Trick on common Choice users, unless it can be confirmed that the particular Pokemon is holding some other item. As with Nasty Plot Darkrai, Choice Scarf Darkrai works well as a lead or a late-game sweeper. With a Choice Scarf, Darkrai outspeeds the omnipresent Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A leads. Darkrai can then put them to sleep with Dark Void, cripple them with Trick to lock them into one attack, or attack them directly with a STAB Dark Pulse. Additionally, Choice Scarf Darkrai is especially useful in taking down fast sweepers such as Adamant Rock Polish Groudon, or Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Zekrom. Focus Blast can be used to take out Steel-types such as Dialga, Heatran, and Tyranitar, while Ice Beam lets Darkrai maul the ubiquitous Dragon-types in Ubers, and also has good coverage with Dark Pulse. Spacial Rend has slightly more power than Ice Beam, as well as a nifty critical hit rate. Moreover, Spacial Rend has the added advantage of hitting Palkia--a common Choice Scarf user--super effectively. Even though Choice Scarf Darkrai is a fantastic anti-lead, it still has problems with certain leads. Lum Berry leads that are capable of OHKOing Darkrai, such as Dialga, Kyogre, and Scizor, are this set's biggest threats. Choice Scarf Shaymin-S can outspeed Darkrai and 2HKO it with Air Slash, while Extreme Killer Arceus and Scizor can threaten Darkrai with their powerful priority moves, with the latter also resisting Dark Pulse. Jolly Rock Polish Groudon can outspeed Darkrai after a boost and OHKO it with STAB Earthquake; similarly, Choice Scarf Mewtwo can outspeed and smack Darkrai with Aura Sphere, which OHKOes it. Shaymin-S and Scizor can easily be beaten by Dialga, Reshiram, and Ho-Oh. All of them have access to Fire-type moves and resistances to Shaymin-S's or Scizor's STAB attacks. Dialga and Reshiram have to be wary of a super effective Life Orb Earth Power from Shaymin-S, however. Quagsire can easily switch into lead Kyogre and use the turn to do whatever it pleases. Palkia and Arceus-Grass will dislike Thunder Wave, but are otherwise great switch-ins as well, as they can dent Kyogre with Thunder or Grass Knot. Groudon can easily take on Terrakion and Tyranitar, check Dialga, and set up Stealth Rock to facilitate a sweep. Mewtwo can annihilate Arceus-Fighting with Psystrike, while Wobbuffet can help create an opening for Darkrai, thanks to Shadow Tag, Encore, and Tickle, and thus help it sweep. Last but not least, entry hazards help Darkrai greatly as they soften up potential checks to Darkrai and discourage the opponent from switching frequently.

This set draws its inspiration from, of all Pokemon, Butterfree and its double powder combination. This set works by first putting the opposing Pokemon to sleep using Dark Void, as is to be expected from Darkrai. At this point, your opponent should most likely switch out, because staying in would mean Darkrai can set up a Nasty Plot or a Substitute. By using Thunder Wave the following turn, Darkrai can cripple two Pokemon on your opponent's team. This set works because Darkrai's common switch-ins are Choice Scarf wielders looking for a revenge kill, such as Palkia, Kyogre, and Genesect, as well as priority users, such as Extreme Killer Arceus. For the remaining two moveslots and item, this set has a few options. Dark Pulse will always fill one of these two slots, as its power with STAB and its ability to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types for super effective damage is impossible to pass up. The last slot can be filled with either Focus Blast or Nasty Plot. Focus Blast offers Darkrai awesome coverage with Dark Pulse, especially against Steel-types such as Dialga and Ferrothorn, as well as any Terrakion that it catches with Thunder Wave. Nasty Plot gives Darkrai a tool to sweep late-game, once its counters have been paralyzed or put to sleep. Mono-Dark coverage, while not optimal, is still usable; but be sure to include a teammate such as Fire Punch Groudon to get rid of Steel-types such as Dialga and Forretress. The item choice depends on what Darkrai's main goal is. If you want Darkrai to spread as much status as possible, then Focus Sash gives it insurance against faster threats and Dark Void's shaky accuracy. If you want some extra power, such as guaranteeing the OHKO against Mewtwo with Dark Pulse, then Life Orb is the superior choice. Leftovers provides a bit of longevity, but due to Darkrai's general frailty, it is inferior to the other two items listed. Even though this set fills a more support-oriented role, its defenses are still too low for an all-out support spread, so the standard special attacker EV spread is the most effective. Maximum Speed investment takes advantage of Darkrai's blistering base 125 Speed stat, while max Special Attack investment allows it to hit as hard as possible. The extra Defense EV raises Genesect's Special Attack stat so that U-turn doesn't OHKO unless it has significant Attack investment; however, Bug Buzz will obviously OHKO Darkrai if Genesect carries it. This set pairs up well with slow, hard-hitters, such as Choice Specs Kyogre and Kyurem-W, and setup sweepers such as Dragon Dance Rayquaza. By paralyzing and weakening opposing Choice Scarf users, Darkrai provides its teammates a chance to sweep unhindered or use powerful attacks without being forced out by a faster threat. Although Darkrai is fairly self-sufficient, it still appreciates teammates that can cover its weak spots. As it is using two reflectable status moves, Xatu and Espeon can initiate a deadly guessing game with Darkrai, where the one that predicts wrong is as good as dead. Bulky Water-types such as RestTalk Kyogre and Manaphy also give Darkrai some problems, as they can take its attacks all day and are indifferent to Dark Void and Thunder Wave. Because of that, Zekrom is a good teammate as it can KO all of them with a powerful Bolt Strike. Entry hazards break Darkrai's Focus Sash, so try and keep them off the field if Darkrai is holding one. If you lack a way to clear the field of hazards, then leading off with Darkrai is the best way to keep its Focus Sash intact. Perhaps the best way for your opponent to foil this set is by not switching out after being put to sleep; this not only wastes a turn for you, but it also alerts your opponent of your strategy, which gives them time to avoid it.

This is the very set that propelled Darkrai to fame, or rather notoriety, last generation. Darkrai's stellar base 125 Speed and Dark Void's decent accuracy make pulling off a sweep very easy. The basic game plan is to switch into a Pokemon slower than Darkrai, put it to sleep with Dark Void, grab a Nasty Plot boost or set up a Substitute, and start sweeping. After a single Nasty Plot, Darkrai's Special Attack reaches a jaw-dropping 738, and Dark Pulse will dent anything not resistant to it. Focus Blast hits the Dark- and Steel-types that resist Dark-type attacks, most notably Tyranitar, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and opposing Darkrai. To put Darkrai's insane power into perspective, even Chansey is 2HKOed by Focus Blast after a Nasty Plot boost. Dark Pulse and Focus Blast have near-perfect coverage, resisted only by Heracross and Toxicroak. Substitute allows Darkrai to avoid crippling status, have a fighting chance against Sleep Talk users, and scout for its counters. Dark has good type coverage in Ubers, so a mono-attacking set without Focus Blast is extremely viable, although Darkrai will then easily be walled by Steel-type Pokemon and Blissey. This Darkrai set functions exceptionally well as a lead or late-game sweeper, and the choice of item depends heavily on the position the team needs Darkrai to fill. Lead Darkrai can utilize Focus Sash well, as it stops most support leads with Dark Void and can 2HKO Prankster Taunt users such as Thundurus with STAB Dark Pulse. Focus Sash Darkrai can also pull off a mini-sweep early-game when played correctly. Thanks to Bad Dreams, Darkrai does not have to worry about an opponent's Focus Sash. Leftovers is the preferred item with Substitute, as Life Orb recoil will drain Darkrai's health too quickly. However, it must be kept in mind that without Life Orb, Darkrai's damage output drops significantly. As the only way Darkrai can set up a Nasty Plot and sweep is by putting something to sleep, this set absolutely despises Sleep Talk users, particularly Heracross and Kyogre, as both can easily survive a boosted Dark Pulse and KO back with a STAB move. Giratina-O and Calm Mind Giratina, thus, make good partners for Darkrai as both can check and set up on the aforementioned threats. Giratina has the further advantage of checking Extreme Killer Arceus and Choice Scarf Terrakion, both of which threaten Darkrai with priority or by virtue of greater Speed, respectively. It is nearly impossible to beat Darkrai without sacrificing a Pokemon to sleep, but once Sleep Clause has been activated, Darkrai becomes infinitely less threatening. One of the best ways to take out Darkrai is to let it put a Pokemon to sleep, then switch to a faster teammate to revenge kill it. Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and Choice Scarf users such as Palkia, Kyogre, Dialga, Terrakion, Reshiram, and Zekrom are all great choices to revenge kill Darkrai. Darkrai also hates powerful users of priority attacks, such as Extreme Killer Arceus and Scizor. If one prefers a more defensive approach, Ho-Oh can survive a boosted Dark Pulse and OHKO with Brave Bird; Arceus-Fighting can do the same with Judgment. If Darkrai lacks Focus Blast, almost all Steel-types can wall it easily. Wobbuffet makes a good partner to Darkrai as it not only has Encore to give Darkrai many setup opportunities, but can also revenge kill Choice Scarf users easily thanks to Shadow Tag. Arceus-Grass and Palkia are both good checks to Kyogre as they can switch in on Surf or Water Spout and threaten Kyogre with super effective attacks. Water Absorb Quagsire also fears nothing from Kyogre, and can use a combination of Encore and Toxic to wear it down. Zekrom can check Kyogre and Ho-Oh too, as neither of them dares take a STAB Bolt Strike. Ironically, defensive Kyogre also does a good job in checking Ho-Oh. Stealth Rock is possibly the best way to beat Ho-Oh; in general, entry hazard support is very much recommended to aid Darkrai in its sweep. Forretress and Deoxys-S make good partners as they can both set up entry hazards quite reliably. Magnezone and Groudon can be used to check Steel-types if Darkrai lacks Focus Blast; Mewtwo also makes a good teammate as it can decimate Arceus-Fighting with Psystrike.

Since Nasty Plot Darkrai is a huge threat in the Uber metagame, people often deal with it by revenge killing it with faster Pokemon such as Mewtwo and Choice Scarf Palkia / Dialga. By making use of Substitute and Salac Berry, Darkrai has a better chance to avoid this. Simply Substitute when you need to until the Salac Berry activates. When you have the chance, Darkrai can safely Nasty Plot while behind a Substitute. As well as helping Darkrai achieve the Salac Berry boost, Substitute also protects Darkrai from Choice Scarf and priority users that often switch in to revenge kill it. After the boost from Salac Berry, Darkrai will outrun just about everything except Choice Scarf Shaymin-S, Mewtwo, and Deoxys-S, while still retaining the ability to switch moves. With STAB Dark Pulse and Focus Blast, you'll still find it to be a quite fearsome sweeper. The 30 HP IVs makes Darkrai's HP stat divisible by 4. This allows Salac Berry to activate after 3 Substitutes and still gives Darkrai 70 HP to hold on with, which is useful for surviving a Shadow Sneak from Giratina-O. Focus Blast can also be replaced with Dark Void to sleep potential counters that Focus Blast would normally cover, such as Scizor and Dialga, and allow for more free turns to set up while your opponent is sleeping. Without Dark Void, Darkrai will have serious issues with Choice Band Scizor. If Darkrai lacks Focus Blast, specially defensive Tyranitar will give Darkrai serious issues after Sleep Clause has been activated, as even a +6 Dark Pulse will only do 39% maximum to Careful 252 HP / 200 SpD Tyranitar. Meanwhile, the same Tyranitar with 56 Attack EVs and a Choice Band will easily break Darkrai's Substitutes with either Stone Edge or Earthquake. Finally, Sand Stream will make Darkrai's life even shorter, chipping away 6.25% of its HP per turn. Because of these issues, Support Groudon is an excellent teammate for this Darkrai. Groudon will be able to demolish Tyranitar with its STAB super effective Earthquakes, and will do serious damage to Scizor. After Darkrai's Substitute is broken, it is even more susceptible to priority or extremely fast Choice Scarf users. After taking Stealth Rock damage and getting one Substitute broken, Darkrai is in the KO range of Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch. Scizor also has the capability of stopping Darkrai's sweep with Bullet Punch after its Salac Berry has been activated and its Substitute broken. Deoxys-A, Rayquaza, and Lucario can also stop Darkrai's sweep in the same manner with Extreme Speed. Giratina-O makes an excellent teammate as it is able to take Bullet Punches aimed at Darkrai pretty well and is immune to Extreme Speed. The mixed attacking spinblocker set is able to take Bullet Punches from Scizor and outspeed Adamant Lucario, while dealing heavy damage with either Hidden Power Fire or Earthquake. It can also outspeed Adamant Rayquaza and OHKO with either Draco Meteor or Outrage, and can OHKO Deoxys-A with Shadow Sneak. Both Choice Scarf Mewtwo and Choice Scarf Shaymin-S have the potential to end Darkrai's sweep after it has used Salac Berry and had its Substitute broken, thanks to their higher Speed. Metagross can take care of Choice Scarf Shaymin-S for Darkrai, thanks to its resistance to both of its STAB attacks and Clear Body; Metagross can then slam it with Meteor Mash. Choice Scarf Mewtwo is easily dealt with by Wobbuffet, who can switch into the Choiced Fighting-type move and beat Mewtwo with Mirror Coat. Wobbuffet also has the bonus of being able to set up Darkrai thanks to its move combination of Encore and Shadow Tag.

Thanks to Darkrai's Speed and Dark Void's excellent accuracy (for a sleep-inducing move), it is often easy for Darkrai to set up at least one Nasty Plot. This skyrockets Darkrai's fair (by Uber standards) Special Attack to a frightening 738 in one turn. Using both Dark Pulse and Focus Blast gives Darkrai excellent neutral coverage resisted only by Heracross and Toxicroak. Even with only neutral damage, Darkrai hits hard with +2 Dark Pulse or Focus Blast. STAB Dark Pulse is the main attack, doing heavy damage with the possibility of flinching the opponent. While Focus Blast's accuracy is sometimes unnerving, it allows Darkrai to better handle Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon that resist Dark Pulse, including Tyranitar, Heatran, Dialga, and opposing Darkrai. This Darkrai set can function superbly as either a lead or a late-game sweeper. When in the lead position, it is recommended that Darkrai has Focus Sash as its item, allowing it to survive attacks when an opponent's Lum Berry wakes it up. This will usually guarantee that a Pokemon is put to sleep. After this, Bad Dreams allows Darkrai to break the Focus Sash of Deoxys-A, Deoxys-S, and Froslass and then OHKO them with Dark Pulse. When using Darkrai as a late-game sweeper, Life Orb is recommended due to the increase in power and the lower chance of encountering Lum Berry. This will greatly increase Darkrai's damage output, while the recoil isn't devastating as long as you watch out for Choice Scarf and priority users. Substitute can be used over Focus Blast for a mono-attacking Darkrai. While this does reduce Darkrai's coverage significantly, Substitute makes it easier for Darkrai to set up, as well as covering its weakness to faster Pokemon and priority attacks. Substitute also protects Darkrai from being crippled by Thunder Wave and serves as a bulwark against opposing Darkrai. Leftovers is the suggested item in conjunction with Substitute. Substitute and Focus Sash have no use together, and Substitute and Life Orb will wear away at Darkrai's HP too quickly for Darkrai to truly be effective. Leftovers can be used instead of Life Orb for a late-game sweeper. Using Leftovers allows for Darkrai to restore HP and raise its survivability at the cost of some power. Leftovers helps one of Darkrai's most common problems: being revenge killed. This can be very crucial if you expect to frequently switch Darkrai in and out while trying to set up Nasty Plot throughout the game. Leftovers, as stated above, also works well with Substitute, helping Darkrai regain the HP it loses from creating Substitutes. This set relies somewhat heavily on its ability to sleep opposing Pokemon, which means that Darkrai really does not like Sleep Talkers, such as Kyogre and Heracross. Because of these threats, Giratina-O and Calm Mind Giratina make good partners, since it is able to check and set up on Sleep Talk variants of both Heracross and Kyogre by resisting their standard attacks, as well as being able to counter the occasional Primeape that will try and ruin Darkrai's fun with its immunity to sleep. Teamwise, Giratina walls Heracross and Primeape, while Giratina-O can set up on either one locked into Close Combat and then proceed to sweep. Latias walls and sets up on any Sleep Talking Kyogre. Darkrai is most vulnerable after Sleep Clause has been activated. Choice Scarf Palkia and Dialga can switch into Darkrai and OHKO with Draco Meteor. Choice Scarf Kyogre and Darkrai do the same with Surf and Focus Blast respectively. Life Orb Shaymin-S OHKOes Darkrai with Seed Flare after Stealth Rock damage. Although Mewtwo cannot switch into Dark Pulse or Substitute, it can revenge kill Darkrai by outspeeding it and has an 87% chance to OHKO Darkrai with Aura Sphere after Stealth Rock damage (guaranteed with Life Orb). Finally, Life Orb Scizor 2HKOes Darkrai with Bullet Punch, or OHKOes with U-turn, but keep in mind that a +2 Life Orb Focus Blast OHKOes Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. A Scizor of your own can switch into Choice Scarf Dialga and Palkia's Draco Meteors and any offensive Mewtwo without Fire Blast, and either Roost or U-turn (or Pursuit in Mewtwo's case). Wobbuffet destroys Choice Scarf Dialga and Palkia with Mirror Coat, while Encore can help Darkrai set up. Choice Scarf Dialga counters Shaymin-S with its quadruple Grass resistance, and it can switch into any of Scizor's attacks except Superpower and OHKO with Fire Blast. Latias handles Kyogre and can switch into a Choiced Darkrai's Focus Blast.

Trick Darkrai is truly a nasty surprise for its opposition, taking out one of Darkrai's biggest weaknesses, Sleep Talkers, while still giving it the potential to sweep. After crippling a Sleep Talker with Trick, Darkrai is free to put it to sleep with Dark Void. As Sleep Talk malfunctions with Choice Scarf, most of the time, Darkrai is capable of setting up a Nasty Plot or two assuming that the opponent is still slower than it after getting Tricked the Choice Scarf. STAB Dark Pulse is obvious and packs fairly decent coverage since no Pokemon is immune to it. While Trick holds incredible potential, one must use it wisely, as misplaying Trick can make it easy for opponents to outplay Darkrai. Tricking an opposing Choice user will only lock Darkrai into Trick and keep it from setting up, as well as possibly giving Darkrai a worse Choice item (for its purposes), such as Choice Band. All forms of Arceus are immune to Trick and will lock Darkrai into Trick, giving Arceus a free turn to set up. It is important to note that Giratina-O, another popular Trick absorber in Ubers, cannot switch into Darkrai safely due to STAB Dark Pulse. Trick Darkrai is an amazing lead; its Speed allows it to outpace Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A leads, either sleeping them with Dark Void, hitting them with Dark Pulse, or Tricking them so that they're stuck on one move, making them easy pickings for a Pokemon with Pursuit such as Scizor or Tyranitar. Yet despite these amazing qualities as a lead, Darkrai can still be used in late-game, where it holds more of a surprise. When used late-game, this Darkrai can use Dark Void to counter such things as Adamant Rock Polish Groudon and opposing Choice Scarf users that can often be extremely troublesome. Ice Beam is the best coverage option for Choice Scarf Darkrai; it enables Darkrai to reliably revenge kill boosted Dragon Dance Rayquaza lacking Extreme Speed or locked into Outrage, as well as some other miscellaneous targets such as Salac Berry Garchomp. Focus Blast can be used over Nasty Plot, which allows for Darkrai to be more offensive and preserve its ability to Trick Choice Scarf onto a Pokemon for later in the game. Focus Blast can also help Darkrai deal with Choice Scarf Dialga and opposing Darkrai. While Focus Blast does give Darkrai better coverage, Nasty Plot is still recommended over it due to the fact that Darkrai is not as powerful without the aid of Life Orb or Nasty Plot. In addition, Darkrai is sometimes hard to switch in and as long as it still holds the Choice Scarf, Darkrai will be forced to switch in and out frequently in order to be truly useful. A more offensive Choice Scarf Darkrai can be used with Ice Beam or Spacial Rend over Trick and Focus Blast instead of Nasty Plot. While offensive Choice Scarf Darkrai is often outclassed by Choice Scarf Mewtwo, it does have two things that Mewtwo doesn't: a fast Dark Void to sleep the opponent's Pokemon with, and the ability to beat Wobbuffet because of Darkrai's immunity to Mirror Coat. When leading with Trick Darkrai, there are several leads who can give it problems. Choice Scarf Mewtwo will outspeed and OHKO Darkrai with Focus Blast, while other variants of Mewtwo will still be able to live through a Dark Pulse. Choice Scarf Shaymin-S can 2HKO Darkrai with Air Slash, which is particularly troublesome because of the flinch chance. Scarf Darkrai's biggest problem is the various leads that rely on Lum Berry or Chesto Berry to absorb Dark Void. A specially defensive Tyranitar with Lum Berry can live through Focus Blast and OHKO Darkrai with Superpower. In a similar vein, a lead Scizor with Lum Berry can OHKO Darkrai with U-turn, and a lead Kyogre with Lum Berry can also OHKO Darkrai with Surf. Both Dialga and Groudon often carry a combination of Lum Berry and Thunder Wave when leading to cripple Darkrai. Support Dialga can be a very useful Pokemon to use with Trick Darkrai, because Dialga resists both Shaymin-S's Air Slash and Scizor's U-turn. Dialga can also help set up Stealth Rock, which will help the rest of team in sweeping. A Bulk Up Dialga can also switch into Kyogre's Surf and set up. Support Groudon is another excellent choice as a teammate, as it not only absorbs Thunder Wave from opposing leads, but it also destroys Tyranitar. Wobbuffet can switch into a Choice Scarf Mewtwo's Focus Blast and 2HKO it with Mirror Coat. Scizor can also survive a Focus Blast from Mewtwo and OHKO Mewtwo with U-turn. Scizor also has the benefit of being able to do a serious amount of damage to lead Tyranitar as long as Scizor avoids a Fire-type attack. Finally, Blissey can easily switch into lead Kyogre and wall its entire moveset.